Storms in Italy - vacation regions affected

In Lombardy alone, there were around 500 deployments. Roofs were covered and trees uprooted. In Milan, the city council ordered the closure of all parks and green spaces. There was water ingress at Milan Malpensa Airport on Thursday and some areas were cordoned off. However, there were no flight cancellations.

Vacation regions badly affected

In Florence, parks and cycle paths along the Arno were closed, while beach resorts on the coast were closed. In the popular tourist destinations on the Ligurian coast - such as La Spezia and Cinque Terre - wind gusts of over 110 kilometers per hour were measured.

In Veneto, users posted hailstones almost the size of tennis balls on social media. The civil defense also reported more than 1,000 power outages in the north of Piedmont.

Warning levels remain

There were also numerous operations in South Tyrol due to flooded cellars and small landslides, according to the provincial fire brigade association. In Parma (Emilia-Romagna), 50 millimetres of rain fell within an hour - more than in an entire August.

On Lake Garda, streets and underground car parks were flooded. Several trees fell and the picturesque "Strada della Forra" was closed as a precaution due to the risk of landslides.

The civil protection authority also warned of further storms on Friday - with an increased risk level, particularly for northern and central Italy.